ZPCBlog

About the author: Amanda Stricker has participated in the ZPC community since being dropped off at the nursery back in 1988 up through her current Sunday mornings working as a part of the ZPC Tech Team. She very much enjoyed serving as a ZPC Elder in the past, and she is currently employed as a middle school Social Studies teacher for Eman Schools which is a private Islamic school in Fishers. She feels quite blessed to have an opportunity to get to know her Muslim neighbors while also indulging her passion for teaching the humanities. 

“He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.” (Luke 1:52-53)

When Mary visits her relative Elizabeth and is told “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed…You are blessed because you believed the Lord would do what he said” (Luke 1:42-45), her response is praising God, rejoicing in God, and proclaiming all the great things God has done for her and for his people. Mary proclaims that God scattered the proud and haughty, brought down rulers, sent away the rich, but God lifted up the humble, filled the hungry with good things, and helped his servant Israel. As Jerry said on September 18th in our journey through Luke, Mary demonstrates a ferocity here that is echoed by Jesus later on during his ministry when he reminds us that God’s justice and strength is on the side of the humble, the meek, the hungry, the oppressed, and the poor, NOT on the side of the people and the institutions that hold power and wealth in our world. 

This has always been God’s promise and God’s way of operating in the world. He makes a covenant with a nomadic shepherd, Abraham; he rescues and raises high a brother sold into slavery, Joseph; he bestows miracles upon a disgraced murderer so that the murderer can free slaves, Moses; he protects widowed beggars who literally have no one in this world, Ruth and Naomi; and God, Immanuel, is with Mary, a teenaged girl who is pregnant outside of the legal bonds of marriage. Yet the kings and powers of the world God chastises and lays low: King Saul in 1 Samuel, King Ahaz from the book of Isaiah, King Herod when Jesus was born. In fact, the beautiful picture of hope and paradise mentioned this past Sunday by Steve Ebling - you know, the one where there is no more war and the mountain of the Lord’s house will be the highest of all with people all over the world streaming in to worship - is found in Isaiah 2. That same chapter, Isaiah 2, also mentions that “human pride” and “human arrogance” will be humbled, brought down, leveled, or punished in some way over 10 times. 

This is a VERY important truth found throughout scripture; we cannot have God’s paradise and God’s glory when human pride and arrogance reign supreme. If our hope is in the Lord, and if we wait upon his power and goodness, we cannot rely upon wealth, nor upon human leaders, nor upon human effort. This is why it is so important that all people of faith keep the spirit of the poor, the hungry, and the oppressed. The more wealth, power, and privilege we have in this world, the less we rely on God’s grace and sovereignty, and the more we find ourselves acting in ways that grieve the heart of our Creator. The rulers of this world NEED to be humbled, and the rich NEED to be sent away empty so that they can come back to the reality of God’s power, blessings, and might. We need to be like Mary, and say: “I am the Lord’s servant…Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl.” (Luke 1:38 and 1:46-48). 

We should be continually amazed that the God of all creation, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and Mary chooses to bless us, draw close to us, and invite us into the joyful and continual hope of Heaven. We are blessed because we believe in the Lord; we are blessed because we believe that God has done and will do great things, NOT because we ourselves are anything worthy of praise, admiration, or blessings. For as Isaiah 2:22 states, “Don’t put your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath. What good are they?” Instead, put your hope and trust in Jesus this Advent Season, for he is the fulfillment of “this promise [God] made to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever” (Luke 1:55). 

Activity: 

Reflection songs: Sticks and Stones and Playing with Fire (feat. Propaganda) by Kings Kaleidoscope are both songs that highlight the dangers of leaving human power, leaders, and privilege unexamined. Listen to them and consider: How are you cultivating the spirit of the poor, the hungry, and the humble this Advent season? Think of ways you can connect to and serve with people who are oppressed or seen as “needy,” and when you do so, make sure you have a humble heart. The people you might find yourself serving which are “poor” in the eyes of the world are those who are blessed and exalted in the eyes of our Savior.  

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father who rains blessings upon his people, be with us this advent season and help us to turn away from the powers of this world. Help us to be humble and hungry for your word and your grace. Remove far from us any arrogance or pride, and help us to look upon the world with your eyes and your understanding. Help us to examine our own wealth and privilege, and help us to recognize that it is all for naught and nothing, not the result of any special efforts or qualities of our own. Help us to recognize that we are all just sinners and servants in need of your grace and your blessings, and help us to work with you to make this world a more just and merciful place. Thank you that when we are poor, and when we are oppressed, that is when you and your blessings and power are closest to us and our hearts. Amen. 

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